Method and apparatus for third party control of a device

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for third party control of a device have been disclosed. By utilizing a third party to control a device, view and control of a device may be separated.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present Application for Patent is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/290,023 titled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THIRDPARTY CONTROL OF A DEVICE” filed Nov. 6, 2002, pending, and is herebyincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to devices connected to a network. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatusfor third party control of a device or a group of devices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Controlling a device may be broadly grouped into local and remotecontrol. Local control of a device may be possible by a mechanismranging, for example, from a simple switch (e.g. a light switch) to acomputer controlled device (e.g. a computer terminal). Such localcontrol is often activated by a human in close proximity to the device.In such cases, the device must be able to support the human inputs andbe capable of displaying a result or feedback to guide the user. Oftenthe human input requires that the device be much more “complicated” thanits basic function. For example, a vending machine dispenses product,however the user interface may require a keypad, a coin/bill changer, auser display (e.g. for coins deposited), etc. Thus the “view” of thevending machine and the “control” of the machine are tightly coupled,especially from the viewpoint of the user. That is, the user believesthat they are directly in control of the vending machine.

A remotely controlled device on the other hand, may have a “remote” userinterface that still interfaces directly into the controlled device.Thus, the “remote” control is little more than an “extension cord”connected between the device and the user input device. The device muststill process the user inputs. This remote control is tightly coupled tothe device and thus may be “complicated” beyond its primary function.This presents a problem.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment in which the method andapparatus of the present invention may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a computer system for implementingembodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate various embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment where the ID and controlled device areseparate;

FIG. 8A shows one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E illustrate various embodiments of signalflow for FIG. 8A;

FIG. 9A shows one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9B illustrates an embodiments of signal flow for FIG. 9A;

FIG. 10A is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10B shows signal flows for FIG. 10A;

FIG. 11A illustrates another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11B shows one embodiment of signal flows for FIG. 11A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A Method and Apparatus for Third Party Control of a Device aredescribed.

The present invention by providing for third party control of a device,allows for viewer controller separation and authentication withvalidation.

In the explanation below various terminology is used. These areunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art. For the benefit of thereader the following should be noted. To provide a concise illustrationof the present invention the context of the description will often referto connecting machines or devices to a network. One of ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate that the Internet is but one example of anetwork and that the present invention may be practiced with othernetworks.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. Device #1302 is communicating via a unidirectional link 304 information to device#2 306. Device #2 303 is then communicating via a one way link 308information to the network 310. The network 310 is then communicatingvia link 312 information to device #1 302.

Thus, for example, in one embodiment of FIG. 3, device #1 may be avending machine. Link 304 may be an infrared beam to device #2 306 aPDA. The PDA may then communicate via a wireless link 308 to a network310 (e.g. the Internet). Finally the network 310 may communicate via 312a wired link to device #1. In this embodiment the information conveyedvia the link 304 may be a vending machine identification (ID) number.The user of device #2 may see that the vending machine has four choicesand may press 1, 2, 3, or 4, to make a selection. The PDA may thenconnect to the network 310, and send the vending machine ID and thechoice. Not shown are the intermediate steps of possibly checking theuser's account for a sufficient balance for the transaction. The network310 may then send a signal via link 312 to the vending machine todispense the user selection.

Thus, in this example, the view of the vending machine has beenseparated from the control of the vending machine and only a one-waycommunication was established between the controlled device to thecontrolling device. However, from the user's standpoint, they maycontinue to believe that they are in direct control of the machine.

The choices that a user of a controlling device, for example a PDA, mayselect from may be coming from a preloaded program on the controllingdevice which is presented to the user in response to a device ID.Alternatively, the controlled device may send the ID and/or data, whichallows the controlling device to use a generic interface, such as a webbrowser, for selecting choices. Another approach is where the PDA afterreceiving the information from the device will query a server at thenetwork level to actually get the user interface to be displayed on thePDA. Other embodiments are also possible.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, there is a bi-directionalcommunication capability between device #2 406 and the network 410. Thismay allow the device #1 402 to be “dumber” than the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3. The communication via link 404 to device #2 406may still be as simple as an ID or more complicated such as a selectionchoice. For example, continuing the example of the vending machine, thedevice #2 406 (PDA) may now receive via the bi-directional link 408 fromthe network 410 a menu selection of items available from device #1 402based on a lookup result from a database listing the contents in thevending machine based on the vending machine ID. The user may select anitem and the network 410 would issue a command via link 412 to thevending machine (device #1 402) to dispense the item.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, there is a bi-directionalcommunication link between device #1 502 and the network 510. This mayallow the device #1 502 to be “queried” and respond to the network 510with status, information, acknowledgements, etc. For example, continuingthe example of the vending machine, the device #2 506 (PDA) may receivean ID from device #1 502. This may be conveyed via link 508 to thenetwork 510 that may query device #1 via 512 as to the current contentsactually in the vending machine. A reply via link 512 to the network 510may then be relayed to the user device (device #2 506) via link 508. Theuser of device #2 may then have a more accurate view of device #1. Theuser may make a selection based on actual content information andnetwork 510 could send a signal to device #1 502 to perform anoperation. An acknowledgment could be sent by device #1 502 via link 512to the network 510 to complete the transaction (e.g. actually chargingthe user of device #2's account once the item is dispensed).

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other combinationsare possible as well. For example, communication between device #1 and anetwork may be bi-directional while communication from device #2 to thenetwork may be unidirectional. What is to be appreciated is that thepresent invention allows viewer and controller separation. An importantaspect is to understand that the communication between device #1 anddevice #2 is unidirectional (from device #1 to device #2).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of the presentinvention. Here at 602 an ID from a 1st device is received by a 2nddevice. At 606 the ID received by the 2nd device is sent to a 3^(rd)device. At 606 control of the 1^(st) device is effected from the 2^(nd)device though the 3^(rd) device.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. In this moregeneral embodiment, the device, emitting for example an ID, is separatefrom the device controlled. Here at 702 an ID from device #1 is sent vialink 707 to device #2 706. Device #2 706 communicates via link 708 todevice #3 710 which in turn communicates via link 712 with device #4714. In this embodiment device #2 706 controls device #4 714.

One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other combinationsof communication links (unidirectional and bi-directional) for links 708and 712 are possible for FIG. 7.

FIG. 8A illustrates one embodiment of the present invention. Forexample, in this embodiment, a kiosk 802 emits a beacon 804 sending anID that is received by a PDA 806. The user of the PDA 806 sends this IDor information based on this ID via a wireless link 808 to a network 810which communicates this information via link 812 to a kiosk userinterface 814. The kiosk user interface 814 may then communicate vialink 812, network 810, and link 816, a selection of choices on kiosk 802(or it may communicate the choices directly to the PDA 806). Furtherinformation from the beacon 804 may or may not be sent to the PDA 806.The user may then make a selection of a movie. This gets communicatedvia 808 to the network 810, which may query the movie on demand server820, for example, for a price. The price may be communicated back to thePDA 806 via 808 for final approval by the user and/or this informationmay be relayed from the movies on demand server 820 via 818, the network810, link 812 to the kiosk user interface 814 which may via the linkshave the kiosk 802 display this information. The user may approve thepurchase (not shown are possible financial transactions) and then themovie on demand server 820 may send to the kiosk 802 via the network 810and links 818, and 816 the movie for display.

Other embodiments of the invention may have different signal flows forFIG. 8A and use different features. For example, a constantcommunication from the kiosk to the PDA may be a way for the PDA todetect that the kiosk is still in range and that the user holding thePDA is in viewing range. Various other embodiments showing signal flowsare illustrated in FIGS. 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E.

FIG. 8B illustrates a signal flow. Referring to FIG. 8B, see signal flow1, denoted as (1) in the text.

-   -   Signal flow (1): Data is sent from the Kiosk 802 to the PDA 806.        The data is an ID (scheme://host/deviceID) and may have other        data about current state of the Kiosk 802.    -   Signal flow (2): The PDA 806 sends information to the Kiosk UI        814 (defined by the host) after optional processing on the PDA        806 itself. The PDA 806 after receiving the information (via        (1)) from the Kiosk 802 may display a menu from a program        preloaded on the PDA 806.    -   Signal flow (3 a-b): Based on the information received in (2)        the Kiosk UI 814 may update the display of the Kiosk 802 (via 3        a) (if the Kiosk 802 has a display) and may also update the PDA        806 with the event (3 b).    -   Signal flow (4): Based on the information received, the PDA 806        will update the PDA UI and may offer new choices like ordering a        movie. The user by selecting a choice will send it (4) to the        Kiosk UI 814.    -   Signal flow (5): The Kiosk UI 814 will pass the choice (5) to a        Movie on demand server 820 with the necessary information to        establish a media connection (6) with the Kiosk 802.    -   Signal flow (6): A media connection is established (6) between        the Movie on demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802.

In a variation of FIG. 8B, the PDA 806 may still receive regularly theevent (1) to make sure that the Kiosk 802 is still in proximity with thePDA 806, and therefore maintain the media connection (6) between theMovie on demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802.

Each component, the Kiosk 802, PDA 806, Kiosk UI 814, and the Movie indemand server 820 may be smart enough to process the informationreceived with some preloaded program or some program loaded on demand(extra steps not shown here).

FIG. 8C illustrates a signal flow which has the same starting, scenarioas FIG. 8B with a difference beginning at signal flow (6):

-   -   Signal flow (6): The Movie on demand server 820 provides more        information to the Kiosk UI 814, such as movie status,        promotions available, etc.    -   Signal flow (7 a-b): The Kiosk UI 814 sends information to the        Kiosk 802 (7 a) and the PDA 806 (7 b) to update (if necessary)        the UI of the PDA 806 and the Kiosk 802 to reflect the        information sent by the Movie on demand server 820.    -   Signal flow (8): The user may select a choice presented to        him/her that will send an event to the Kiosk UI 814 (8).    -   Signal flow (9): The Kiosk UI 814 passes the event (9) to the        Movie on demand server 820 that will trigger the establishment        of a media connection between the Kiosk 802 and the Movie on        demand server 820.    -   Signal flow (10): The media path (10) is established between the        Movie on demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802.

The event passing may be passive (the event is passed withoutmodification and value added service) or active (a program running on anavailable processing unit may filter and/or modify the event beforepassing it to the next component).

The media path may be direct between the Movie on demand server 820 andthe Kiosk 802, but may also be done via a media gateway associated withthe Kiosk UI 814.

FIG. 8D illustrates a signal flow which has the same starting scenarioas FIG. 8B with a difference beginning at signal flow (4):

-   -   Signal flow (4): The event (3 b) sends information about the        Movie on demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802. The user by        selecting a choice presented to him on the PDA 806 will send the        event (4) directly to the Movie on demand server 820 with the        information about how to establish a media connection between        the Movie on demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802.    -   Signal flow (5): The media connection (5) between the Movie on        demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802 is established.

In another scenario, if the PDA 806 does not receive the signal (1), itmay generate an event (6) (not shown on the diagram) that will releasethe media connection (5) between the Movie on demand server 820 and theKiosk 802.

Another possible action is for the user to select a choice on the UI ofthe PDA 806 to be sent to the Movie on demand server 820 to disconnectthe media connection (5) between the Movie on demand server 820 and theKiosk 802.

FIG. 8E illustrates a signal flow which has the same starting scenarioas FIG. 8B with a difference beginning at signal flow (4):

-   -   Signal flow (4): While the PDA 806 is providing the information        (via (4)) about the Kiosk 802 to the Movie on demand server 820,        it also sends a query for more information to the Movie on        demand server 820.    -   Signal flow (5 a-b): The movie on demand server 820 will send an        event (via (5 a)) to the Kiosk 802 and to the PDA 806 (5 b) in        order to update the UI on both devices (if it is needed).    -   Signal flow (6): Based on the information received and the UI        changes on the PDA 806, the user can select a choice that will        be sent (6) to the Movie on demand server 820.    -   Signal flow (7): A media connection (7) is then established        between the Movie on demand server 820 and the Kiosk 802.

Thus, it is to be understood that there are many embodiments possible.

FIG. 9A illustrates one embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 9Bshows signal flows for FIG. 9A. For example, in this embodiment, acustom device 928 is shown controlled via management interface 906(virtual link 999 between 928 and 906). Device 902 sends information viachannel 904 to the management interface 906 (1). Management interface906 sends via channel 908 information based on the communicationreceived via channel 904 and/or user inputs on the management interface906 (2).

Communication via channel 908 is shown going to the Network 922 and, forpurposes of illustration, is shown via dashed lines eventually beingcommunicated to management interface server 910. Management interfaceserver 910 may then communicate via channel 912 with device server 914(3). Device server 914 may communicate with the management interfaceserver 910 via channel 916 (4). The management interface server 910 maythen communication via channel 918 and the network 922 to the managementinterface 906 (5). The user may select an option on the managementinterface 906 that is sent to the Management Interface server 910 viathe channel 908 (6). The selection is then forwarded (potentiallymodified and/or filtered) to the Device server 914 via the channel 912(7). The device server 914 interfaces via channel 920 to the network922. The network 922 communicates via channel 924 to device 902 (8), anddevice 902 communicates via channel 926 to control the custom device 928(9). From the viewpoint of the user of the management interface 906 itappears that they are directly controlling the custom device 928. Thismay be viewed as a virtual connection 999 between the managementinterface 906 and the custom device 928.

Referring again to FIG. 9, the following is an example of a possibleembodiment and communication sequence. Device 902 may be an interfacingdevice connected via 924 to the network 922, such as an Internetconnection, and via 926 interfacing to a washing machine in aLaundromat. The interfacing device 902 is sending out an IR (Infrared)beacon 904 that is picked up by the management interface 906, a user'sPDA for example. The IR beacon may be sending out an identification ofthe washing machine, for example, in a location format such ashttp://hosts/company_name/store_ID/washing_machine_ID format. The PDA,equipped with a wireless connection capability, may initiate acommunication to a network when the user of the PDA hits a send button.Communication 908 to the management interface server 910 (a server forPDA management) may send the ID along with other information, possiblyfrom the PDA, such as a user identification, etc., and may ask the PDAmanagement server (910) for a registration request for access to thewashing machine. The PDA management server (910) may communicate arequest for management and registration to the device server 914 (awashing machine server identified by the host as part of the ID sent bythe washing machine). The washing machine server and the PDA serverperform a negotiation via 912 and 916. This negotiation may include avariety of operations, such as checking and providing an interface tothe washing machine to the PDA management server so that the PDA usersees a properly formatted display, on their PDA screen of availableoptions (e.g. type of wash cycles, costs, start/stop button, etc.). Oncethe negotiation is completed the PDA displays the management interface(to the washing machine). After the user of the PDA has the washingmachine interface display, from that moment on the PDA can act on thedevice, the washing machine, as if the PDA was talking directly to it.However, because all the information for control is going through thenetwork, modifications for control and interfacing can be made at thenetwork level rather than the local PDA or washing machine level. Forexample, the initial washing machine display on the PDA may have been inblack and white. As color displays become available, the PDA server,could query the PDA to see if color is supported, and if so, then use acolor interface on the PDA.

One of ordinary skill in the art will realize that at the network levelmany other embodiments of the present invention are possible. Forexample, servers on the network could handle such things as languagetranslations, currency exchange rates, etc. In this way a user from onecountry could be presented information in their native language,currency, etc., even if the machine they are controlling is located inanother country they are visiting. It is also to be understood thatother servers, such as billing or verification servers, may be involvedin the transaction either at the device server level or at theManagement interface server level.

FIG. 10A is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of the presentinvention and FIG. 10B shows signal flows for FIG. 10A. In thisembodiment, an authentication with a user validation is processed. At1002 a device receives a session request. The device sends a securityrequest to a server 1004 (signal flow 1). The server makes a request toa human input device (HID) for session key building (2). At 1008 theuser validates the key building request on the HID (3). The session keyis built 1010, and using this key secure communications may proceed 1012(4).

For example, a postal stamp vending machine may receive a request todispense, a roll of stamps. It may, based upon the size of thetransaction, send a security request to a postal vending machine serverinterfaced to, for example, the Internet. The postal vending machineserver may then make a request via the Internet, wireless network, etc.to the user's telephone for a session key building request. From theuser's perspective, this may be a request to proceed with thetransaction by entering, for example, a password, credit card number, IDnumber, smartcard, biometric identification, etc. This may be receivedby the server which will then generate a session key which may be usedby the postal machine, the server, and/or the PDA for securecommunications.

FIG. 11A shows an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 11B showssignal flows for FIG. 11A. Here, a device server 1108 has received arequest to perform an action from the human input device (HID) 1112 viasignal 1110 through network 1106 (signal flow 1). The device server 1108may then determine that the communication should be secured and willsend via signal 1114 through the network 1106 a request to the HID 1112for a password for session key building (2). The HID 1112 afterreceiving the user input may additionally encrypt the communication via1110 and 1106 back to the device server 1108 (3). The device server 1108may then build a session key which may be used via the HID 1112 and thedevice 1102 for control via signals 1116 an/or 1114 in controllingdevice 1102 (4) (5).

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations ofthe present invention are possible. For example, for added security, ifthe user interface device, such as a PDA stops receiving a beacon fromthe controlled device, the connection and control capability to thedevice may be terminated.

Thus the present invention allows for view controller separation. Todaya PDA/phone may communicate directly with a device, for example, a phonemay communicate to a vending machine, the vending machine does thevalidation, sends the validation result to the PDA, the PDA then hasaccess to the machine, and then the user is in control. The presentinvention, in one embodiment, by using a one-way “beacon” from thedevice for identification, such as a bar code, a RFID (Radio FrequencyID), infrared signal, or as simple as a number on the device (which theuser may enter manually, via a bar code scan, etc.), controls the devicenot directly from the user device to the controlled device, but from theuser device through, for example, a network, which then controls thedevice. In this embodiment, the one way communication from thecontrolled device, allows for separation of control of the device from apresentation on a controller. Embodiments of the present invention maybe used to minimize the direct relationship between the machine and theuser controlling device and shift this control to a network. Thus adirect relationship may be shifted in favor of a network relationship.This shift may be beneficial.

For example, the menu selection on a PDA for a vending machine may varybased on the country in which the machine is located, as well as a userlanguage preference. Another example is where new menus for new items ina vending machine may be created and applied centrally at, for example,the vending machine manufacturer's web interface.

So for example, assume that the user with a wireless telephone, but withno cash on hand walks up to a beverage machine that indicates that it is“phone enabled.” The beverage machine would send a “beacon” with an IDto the phone. The phone would communication with a network that may goto a portal that then directs the communication based on the ID to adedicated server for handling beverage machines. The server may thencommunicate with both the beverage machine (as determined by the ID) andthe phone. For example, displaying choices, prices, and a selectionmenu. The user may select an item, which is communicated to the server.The server checks the user's account for sufficient funds, and if thereare sufficient funds, then instructs the machine to dispense theselected beverage.

The “beacon” may communicate more than just the ID, for example, it mayinclude product offerings. In this mode then, until the user decidesthat they want one of the items, there is no need for communication fromthe user device to a network. At the point that the user selects anitem, then communication from the user device to, the network may beinitiated, account balances checked, and the machine instructed todispense a product.

However, it is to be appreciated that the device that sends the beaconin other embodiments of the invention need not have any interaction withthe actual controlled device (e.g. the beacon is attached to the vendingmachine with no connection with the vending machine intelligence).

The present invention may be used to control devices such as medicaldevices, and other devices, which may have limited accessibility and/orsmall faces not allowing an input device, or those devices that need acontrolled access. For example, a pump delivering a drug dose to apatient may be accessed only by a nurse or doctor having a handhelddevice. This would reduce the likelihood that the patient or visitors,such as kids, might punch in numbers on a keypad used for controllingthe device.

Similarly, in another embodiment of the present invention, a doctor mayroam around a hospital and if a patient's bed or environment is equippedwith an identification system, may be able to retrieve the patient'sinformation and adjust dosage levels as desired.

Using the present invention changes to the interface to the user deviceand/or the device being controlled may be made at the network level,thus not having to update and/or reprogram each individual user deviceand/or controlled device.

For example, a candy vending machine may only allow a single item to bepurchased at a time. Normally if the user wanted, for example, six of asingle item, this would require the user to enter money and press thepurchase button six times. However, in one embodiment of the presentinvention, the user may enter a quantity of 6 and the network maycontrol the dispensing device to dispense the six required by issuingthe machine six single dispense commands.

In several of the above embodiment examples, from the user'sperspective, they believe that they are directly controlling themachine. They need not be aware that the user device is receiving an IDfrom the machine and that the user device is coupled to a network andthat the machine is being controlled from a network. Thus while the userbelieves they are directly controlling the machine, in reality, thecontrol of the machine and the user view of controlling the machine havebeen separated.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a mechanic at anautomotive repair shop may have a unit that reads the car ID and pullsup the history of the car and/or performs diagnostics. Additionalfeatures such as checking for recalls or spotting problem trends arealso possible by consulting over the network to, for example, the carmanufacturer's database.

In another embodiment of the present invention it offers a higher degreeof security for sensitive information. For example, if you slide acredit card through, for example, a gas pump then that credit cardinformation is transmitted and validated. Such a communication iscapable of being intercepted. In an embodiment of the present invention,for example, a pump ID, the request to fill up, and a user ID would betransmitted, a server would look up and verify credit information, andthe pump would be activated. No credit card information would need to betransmitted from a gas pump. This would also conserve communicationsbandwidth as a single unidirectional signal could control the pumprather than a bi-directional signal needed for sending the credit cardinformation and then receiving the signal to pump the gas. Additionally,for stations connected via satellite, the cost of transmitting mayrequire a satellite uplink that is expensive compared to a receiver-onlydownlink.

Embodiments illustrating broadcast of an ID have been used forexplanation of the present invention. One of ordinary skill in the artwill appreciate that an ID is a subset of information in general. Thus,for example, in one embodiment of the present invention, a restaurantmay broadcast to a user driving up to a pickup window a dollar amount tobe paid, and the user may opt to pay it by remotely accepting the amountand having it charged to their account. Another embodiment of thepresent invention would allow a customer in a restaurant to pay for ameal and not have the possibility that, when handing over an actualcredit card to pay, an employee may make an extra copy of a charge orsteal their credit card information.

The terms user device, input device, human input device, managementinterface, viewing device, etc., as well as examples of PDA, andtelephone have been used. What is to be understood is that from theperspective of the user controlling the device these are inputs toand/or outputs that relate to controlling the device. Thus, from auser's perspective, a PDA screen may be a device for “viewing” what thecontrolled device has and/or accepts as input. From the network'sperspective the user device may be an input/output device, and from theperspective of the network, the controlled device may have inputs and/oroutputs. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the termsmay be related to the viewpoint perspective.

Wireless communication was illustrated which may be, for example, via acellular telephone network, a wireless LAN network, etc. Additionally,the transmission media may be RF (radio frequency), infrared, laser,etc. Wireless is envisioned as allowing more freedom than wired,however, the present invention does not preclude the use of a wiredconnection. For example, in the above example of the automotive repairshop, the mechanic's user device may be wired or wireless.

The present invention was illustrated in various embodiments in which aone way communication was made from the controlled device to thecontrolling device. Mentioned were techniques such as using a “beacon”from the device for identification, a bar code, a RFID (Radio FrequencyID), infrared signal, or a number on the controlled device. What is tobe noted is that the controlled device is the originator of such an“identification” but need not be the mechanism for input into thecontrolling device. For example, an IR beacon may beam this informationto a PDA, however in another embodiment a number on the controlleddevice may need to be entered manually by the user of on a PDA tocontrol the device. That is a user action may be needed to make use ofand/or acquire the controlled device identification. For example, inother embodiments, a bar code may be on the controlled device and thusrequire that the user of the controller “pass” the controller over thebar code to scan in the controlled device ID. In another embodiment, forexample, to conserve energy a “beacon” may be continuously on andrequire a user action to activate the “beacon.” An example would bewhere the user of a phone type controller may need to be in closeproximity to the controlled machine which may then sense an RF field andthen activate a beacon. An optical sensor is another approach where theuser may need to be detected by the controlled machine before it willactivate the “beacon.” Thus, what is to be appreciated is that the oneway communication of the “identification” information from thecontrolled device to the controlling device may be automatic, triggered,require user actions, or any combination of these, etc.

The use of the word “beacon” is not to be construed to limit theinvention to a directional signal. Nor is it intended to limit theinvention to a single “beacon” signal. Nor is it intended to limit theamount of information sent by a beacon. For example, in one embodimentof the invention an IR beacon may be used for a directional operation.In another embodiment of the invention radio frequency communications,such as Bluetooth, may be used for non-directional operation. Likewiseembodiments of the invention may make use of multiple communications forbeacons. For example, one embodiment of the invention may use both an IRbeacon and a Bluetooth beacon. In this way, a larger range of userdevices may be used for control. The information communicated by thebeacon may range, depending upon the application, from for example, afew bits to megabytes. Thus, what is to be appreciated is that thebeacon connection, no matter how much information is transferred, is oneway.

It is also to be appreciated that the “beacon” can be quite independentof the device being controlled. It is not necessary for the beacon to beaware of the device to which it may be attached. Such an associationbetween a beacon and a controlled device may reside somewhere else, forexample, on a server connected to the Internet. The beacon also does notneed to have any knowledge of the connection of the controlled device.For example, a beacon need not know that it is attached to or close to avending machine, and need not know how the vending machine may beattached to and/or controlled by a network. Nor does the beacon need toknow anything about the controlling device. That is the beacon need notknow whether a user controlling device is phone, a PDA, etc.

In another embodiment of the present invention increased security isavailable via a user validation. For example, a device may send asecurity request through a network to a server. The server in turn maymake a request to a user device for a validation of a session key. Theuser may input a validation based on a password, biometrics, etc. Thisvalidation then goes to the server and a session key is built forcommunication with the original device that sent the security request.Thus a session key is only available if the user consents to thecommunication request by providing a validation.

For example, in the medical device example above, the device wheninstructed to change a setting may send a security request to a server.The server in turn may request the user to enter a validation code, forexample, the person's employee number; the server would receive this(perhaps after being encrypted itself at the user device) and thengenerate a session key that would allow the device to respond to usercontrol.

If the medical device did not have the capability to send a securityrequest, or ask for an acknowledgment of a control command, the presentinvention allows for such a request from an intelligent server. That is,the server could prompt the user for a validation on control commandsthat were deemed to require tracking. For example, a hospital coulddetermine that a 10% change in a particular drug delivery was withinnormal parameters but that greater than a 10% change should be trackedand therefore the server would ask for validation of the controlcommand.

In another embodiment of the present invention delivery of content toanother destination is possible. For example, a movie on demand. At anairport, viewing could cease when a PDA is out of local range. In thisway a content provider would be able to maximize profits by assuringthat once a viewer has left the area that others wanting to view it mustactivate and pay.

Thus, what has been described are some of the various possibleembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment 100 in which the techniquesdescribed may be applied. The network environment 100 has a network 102that connects S servers 104-1 through 104-S, and C clients 108-1 through108-C. More details are described below.

FIG. 2 illustrates a computer system 200 in block diagram form, whichmay be representative of any of the clients and/or servers shown in FIG.1, as well as, devices, clients, and servers in other Figures. Moredetails are described below.

Referring back to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment 100in which the techniques described may be applied. The networkenvironment 100 has a network 102 that connects S servers 104-1 through104-S, and C clients 108-1 through 108-C. As shown, several computersystems in the form of S servers 104-1 through 104-S and C clients 108-1through 108-C are connected to each other via a network 102, which maybe, for example, a corporate based network. Note that alternatively thenetwork 102 might be or include one or more of: the Internet, a LocalArea Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), satellite link, fibernetwork, cable network, or a combination of these and/or others. Theservers may represent, for example, disk storage systems alone orstorage and computing resources. Likewise, the clients may havecomputing, storage, and viewing capabilities. The method and apparatusdescribed herein may be applied to essentially any type of communicatingmeans or device whether local or remote; such as a LAN, a WAN, a systembus, etc.

Referring back to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 illustrates a computer system 200 inblock diagram form, which may be representative of any of the clientsand/or servers shown in FIG. 1. The block diagram is a high levelconceptual representation and may be implemented in a variety of waysand by various architectures. Bus system 202 interconnects a CentralProcessing Unit (CPU) 204, Read Only Memory (ROM) 206, Random AccessMemory (RAM) 208, storage 210, display 220, audio, 222, keyboard 224,pointer 226, miscellaneous input/output (I/O) devices 228, andcommunications 230. The bus system 202 may be for example, one or moreof such buses as a system bus, Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI),Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI),Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard number1394 (FireWire), Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc. The CPU 204 may be asingle, multiple, or even a distributed computing resource. Storage 210,may be Compact Disc (CD), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), hard disks (HD),optical disks, tape, flash, memory sticks, video recorders, etc. Display220 might be, for example, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), Liquid CrystalDisplay (LCD), a projection system, Television (TV), etc. Note thatdepending upon the actual implementation of a computer system, thecomputer system may include some, all, more, or a rearrangement ofcomponents in the block diagram. For example, a thin client mightconsist of a wireless hand held device that lacks, for example, atraditional keyboard. Thus, many variations on the system of FIG. 2 arepossible.

For purposes of discussing and understanding the invention, it is to beunderstood that various terms are used by those knowledgeable in the artto describe techniques and approaches. Furthermore, in the description,for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Itwill be evident, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that thepresent invention may be practiced without these specific details. Insome instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form, rather than in detail, in order to avoid obscuring thepresent invention. These embodiments are described in sufficient detailto enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice the invention,and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized andthat logical, mechanical, electrical, and other changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the present invention.

Some portions of the description may be presented in terms of algorithmsand symbolic representations of operations on, for example, data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those of ordinary skill in thedata processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of theirwork to others of ordinary skill in the art. An algorithm is here, andgenerally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of acts leading toa desired result. The acts are those requiring physical manipulations ofphysical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantitiestake the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the discussion, it isappreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing termssuch as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or “determining” or“displaying” or the like, can refer to the action and processes of acomputer system, or similar electronic computing device, thatmanipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic)quantities within the computer system's registers and memories intoother data similarly represented as physical quantities within thecomputer system memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission, or display devices.

An “event” is understood by one skilled in the art and may be defined astransmitting information to/from one component to another, or for onecomponent to call a method on another component. Upon reception an eventmay generates a state change in the receiving component, which by itselfmay change operation, program flow, etc. (for example, the UI presentedto a user by the processing of a program or set of instructions).

An apparatus for performing the operations herein can implement thepresent invention. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computer,selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of diskincluding floppy disks, hard disks, optical disks, compact disk-readonly memories (CD-ROMs), and magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories(ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), electrically programmableread-only memories (EPROM)s, electrically erasable programmableread-only memories (EEPROMs), FLASH memories, magnetic or optical cards,etc., or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructionseither local to the computer or remote to the computer.

The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently relatedto any particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purposesystems may be used with programs in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the required method. For example, any of themethods according to the present invention can be implemented inhard-wired circuitry, by programming a general-purpose processor, or byany combination of hardware and software. One of ordinary skill in theart will immediately appreciate that the invention can be practiced withcomputer system configurations other than those described, includinghand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, digital signal processing (DSP)devices, set top boxes, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers,and the like. The invention can also be practiced in distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network.

The methods of the invention may be implemented using computer software.If written in a programming language conforming to a recognizedstandard, sequences of instructions designed to implement the methodscan be compiled for execution on a variety of hardware platforms and forinterface to a variety of operating systems. In addition, the presentinvention is not described with reference to any particular programminglanguage. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languagesmay be used to implement the teachings of the invention as describedherein. Furthermore, it is common in the art to speak of software, inone form or another (e.g., program, procedure, application, driver, . .. ), as taking an action or causing a result. Such expressions aremerely a shorthand way of saying that execution of the software by acomputer causes the processor of the computer to perform an action orproduce a result.

It is to be understood that various terms and techniques are used bythose knowledgeable in the art to describe communications, protocols,applications, implementations, mechanisms, etc. One such technique isthe description of an implementation of a technique in terms of analgorithm or mathematical expression. That is, while the technique maybe, for example, implemented as executing code on a computer, theexpression of that technique may be more aptly and succinctly conveyedand communicated as a formula, algorithm, or mathematical expression.Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize a block denotingA+B=C as an additive function whose implementation in hardware and/orsoftware would take two inputs (A and B) and produce a summation output(C). Thus, the use of formula, algorithm, or mathematical expression asdescriptions is to be understood as having a physical embodiment in atleast hardware and/or software (such as a computer system in which thetechniques of the present invention may be practiced as well asimplemented as an embodiment).

A machine-readable medium is understood to include any mechanism forstoring or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine(e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable medium includes readonly memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magnetic disk storagemedia; optical storage media; flash memory devices; electrical, optical,acoustical or other form of propagated signals (e.g., carrier waves,infrared signals, digital signals, etc.); etc.

Thus, a method and apparatus for third party control of a device havebeen described.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising in order (a) through (u) asnoted below: (a) emitting a unidirectional beacon from a kiosk, saidunidirectional beacon having an identification of said kiosk and dataabout a current state of said kiosk; (b) receiving on a personal digitalassistant said unidirectional beacon containing said kioskidentification and said data about said current state of said kiosk; (c)sending from said personal digital assistant a first wirelesscommunication to a network, said first wireless communication containinga first message based on said received identification and said dataabout said current state of said kiosk and a user identification fromsaid personal digital assistant; (d) receiving on a kiosk user interfacesaid first message from said network; (e) sending from said kiosk userinterface a second message to said network, said second message based onsaid identification and containing a selection of movie choices; (f)sending from said network a second wireless communication, said secondwireless communication containing said second message; (g) receiving onsaid personal digital assistant said second wireless communication; (h)displaying on said personal digital assistant said selection of moviechoices; (i) receiving on said personal digital assistant a userselection chosen from said selection of movie choices; (j) sending fromsaid personal digital assistant a third wireless communication to saidnetwork, said third wireless communication containing a third messagebased on said user selection; (k) receiving on a movie on demand serversaid third message from said network; (l) sending from said movie ondemand server a fourth message to said network, said fourth messagebased on said third message and containing pricing information; (m)sending from said network a fourth wireless communication, said fourthwireless communication containing said fourth message; (n) receiving onsaid personal digital assistant said fourth wireless communication; (o)displaying on said personal digital assistant said pricing information;(p) receiving on said personal digital assistant a user response chosenfrom the group consisting of yes, and no; (q) when yes then sending fromsaid personal digital assistant a fifth wireless communication to saidnetwork, said fifth wireless communication containing a fifth messagebased on said user response; (r) receiving on said movie on demandserver said fifth message from said network; and (s) determining on saidpersonal digital assistant if said personal digital assistant is in alocal proximity to said kiosk; (t) when said personal digital assistantis in the local proximity to said kiosk then sending from said movie ondemand server to said kiosk through said network for displaying on saidkiosk a movie corresponding to said user selection; and (u) when saidpersonal digital assistant is not in the local proximity to said kioskthen sending from said personal digital assistant a sixth message basedon said personal digital assistant no longer in the local proximity tosaid kiosk, said sixth message being received on said movie on demandserver from said network and said movie on demand server ceasing sendingfrom said movie on demand server to said kiosk through said network fordisplaying on said kiosk said movie corresponding to said userselection.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said determining on saidpersonal digital assistant if said personal digital assistant is in thelocal proximity to said kiosk is based upon said personal digitalassistant receiving said unidirectional beacon containing saididentification.